


ere the darkness take thee

by Shadaras



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Convergence, F/M, Jedi Praexum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:02:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28678587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadaras/pseuds/Shadaras
Summary: Ben Solo is tired of being at the Jedi Praexum, especially now that his younger twin siblings are studying here too.
Relationships: Ben Solo & Jacen Solo & Jaina Solo, Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker
Comments: 15
Kudos: 17
Collections: Exchanges After Dark Birthday Bash 2021





	ere the darkness take thee

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Filigranka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Filigranka/gifts).



> Written for "The Element of Legends Canon You Are Most Personally Offended Isn't Canon Anymore," because I very much miss the original Han/Leia kids.
> 
> Which is, of course, why this is mostly about Ben.

Ben was curled up in a deserted corner of the Massassi Temple reading when he heard a very familiar patter of feet. He hastily shut down his datapad before the twins could peer over his shoulder and tease him for reading romantic poetry, already setting himself up to glare at them for interrupting him. The Praexum had been so _quiet_ before they came, at least for him; there might be a couple dozen students here alongside him, but they’d all kept their distance.

Jacen and Jaina, in contrast, sought him out _constantly_.

“Ben!” Jacen shouted, running around the corner with a smile on his face. “Uncle Luke sent us to make sure you come to lecture.”

Ben flushed bright red, angry as ever that his emotions show so readily on his face. A Jedi should be calm and dignified, like Uncle Luke, not… whatever _he_ was. “I wasn’t going to miss it,” he said coldly. He stands, unfolding his newly-lanky limbs step by step to make sure he doesn’t bump into anything. “He didn’t need to send you.”

Jaina answered him with an eyebrow raise that looked _exactly_ like Winter’s. “Did you want someone else to find you in your brooding corner?”

Ben opened his mouth to defend himself, but Jacen interrupted with, “He said we need to dress _formally_ for this,” and all his arguments flew out of his head.

“Formally?” he asked instead, resigning himself to being herded by his little siblings. “Who’s coming to visit all of a sudden?” Even if he doesn’t like having them underfoot, Jacen and Jaina are very good sources of information about what’s going on in the Praexum.

“Mara Jade,” Jacen stage-whispered, because the twins think that Uncle Luke’s extended romance with Mara Jade is the funniest thing in the world.

Ben, because he could faintly remember back when Mara Jade wanted to kill Uncle Luke, wasn’t as happy about the idea. “Is she teaching?” Even if he didn’t really like Mara Jade, her lectures were always _interesting_ ; she had a habit of telling them about the Dark Side in a way that Uncle Luke was afraid to delve into.

“Yeah!” Jaina skipped ahead, allowing herself to turn around and walk backwards. “That’s why Uncle Luke wanted to make sure you were there. He knows she’s your favorite teacher.”

She wasn’t _wrong_ but Ben still didn’t want to hear that coming so casually out of his little sister’s mouth. “When did she arrive?”

“Three hours ago?” Jacen and Jaina shared one of those Twin Looks that Ben simultaneously hated and envied, then Jaina nodded and continued, “I saw her ship come in. She went straight to Uncle Luke, and they were holed up in his offices for a while, but we couldn’t hear anything of what they were talking about.”

“They might not have _been_ talking,” Jacen pointed out. “They could have been kissing.”

“Or they could have a privacy screen to keep children like you from listening in,” Ben growled out, hands fisted tight. He had been trying to figure out how to set one up for himself for _years_ , back at home, but Anakin would disable it as soon as Jacen or Jaina asked, and no amount of scolding from their parents had dissuaded them. Someday, they were going to get an eyeful of something they weren’t prepared for and then maybe they would learn their lesson.

Ben didn’t think it would be from _him_ , mostly because having such irritating little siblings meant that he’d never managed to have a relationship anyway.

Jacen shrugged, clearly not sensing the stormcloud of Ben’s emotions, and said, “Anyway, whatever they have planned has _got_ to be good, right?”

“I guess.” Ben let the rest of the twins’ chatter wash over him in a familiar background as they kept walking. The mix of family jokes, aborted sentences, and laughter at things that Ben couldn’t quite hear was soothing in a very particular way, but that didn’t mean he wanted to participate in it.

When they got to the student quarters, Ben finally shooed Jacen and Jaina away so that he could get dressed “formally” for whatever was going on. He had a niggling suspicion, but he didn’t dare hope too much. He was on the older side of the Praexum’s full-time students by now, which hadn’t been helping his general frustration with being stuck here—especially since his younger siblings were all the perfect age to fit in with the student body—and Luke had mentioned that he should think about apprenticeship.

He took care with his appearance, wrapping the layers of Jedi robes around himself just as perfectly as he would the royal garb of Alderaan that his mother had shown him in his youth. Even if she didn’t care about her role as Alderaan’s last princess anymore, her position in the New Republic’s government wasn’t any less important, and Ben had grown up knowing how to present himself well because of that.

The dark blues and browns he’d chosen were armor for his heart as Ben made his way to the open lecture hall. Instead of the noise and bustle of students that he had expected, it was completely empty save for Luke and Mara Jade—dressed in matching black, which he was _sure_ everyone was drawing conclusions from—standing together in complete stillness. Their Force presence was equally calm, and Ben found himself relaxing as he approached them.

Luke raised a hand as Ben stepped into the hall, and the hope he had been trying so hard to repress flared up wildly in his chest once more. There couldn’t be any other reason that he’d been asked to come here alone.

“It’s good to see you again,” Mara Jade said as he approached. “You’ve grown.”

Ben ducked his head. Over the last six months he’d shot up, growing much taller than Luke, and it was still weird. He hadn’t seen Mara Jade since before that growth spurt started, since she’d been off doing missions for the Praexum and the New Republic. “Hi,” he said, feeling awkward. “Um. The twins said there was going to be a lecture.”

“The twins,” Luke said fondly, “enjoy meddling, so I gave them free rein to meddle so long as they told you the important information.”

“Uncle,” Ben said, raising his head to meet Luke’s eyes, “what is this about?”

He was sure that Luke and Mara Jade both would be able to hear his thoughts, if they tried, but he also knew they wouldn’t try. Luke gestured to Mara Jade, and Ben switched his attention to her as she smiled and said, “Would you like to be my apprentice, Ben?”

Ben closed his eyes, fear and joy wrestling in his chest. “Can I?” he asked, voice cracking. “I mean— yes, of course, but—”

“You’re ready.” Mara Jade squeezed his shoulder. “Honestly, _you_ were ready a year ago— _I’m_ the one Luke’s been waiting on.”

That shot through Ben like lightning, especially when Luke laughed ruefully. “You’ll be good for each other,” he said, when they both looked at him. He smiled, and Ben was reminded of how everyone talked about him as such a gentle man, not noticing his wicked humor and deep power. “Do you have any questions for me?”

Ben and Mara Jade traded looks, and then Ben shook his head, too overwhelmed to think about words, and Mara Jade said, “I can take it from here.”

“This will always be a home for you,” Luke said, and Ben got the sense that—even though Luke was looking at him—his words were at least as much for Mara Jade. “That will never change.”

Still, Ben reached out to awkwardly hug his uncle, because he’d needed to hear those words too. Even though he wanted to leave, it only mattered as long as there was still somewhere to come back to. “Thanks,” he muttered, for Luke alone to hear.

Luke’s warm hug enveloped him both physically and in the Force. “You’re going to do us all proud,” he said.

Ben really hoped he was right.


End file.
